It’s going to be hard for either Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa to play down their lack of involvement in what has been described as the biggest game in Newcastle United’s history.
Neither Woltemade nor Wissa came on as Newcastle United drew 1-1 with Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.
Now, there may be an argument to suggest that neither player is suited to the game plan Eddie Howe wanted to play, with raw pace generally seen as Barca’s biggest issue.
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As such, it would make sense to play either William Osula or Anthony Gordon through the middle. Osula, of course, eventually got the nod due to Gordon being ill in the build-up to the game.
There’s logic in that, but the optics aren’t great.
Woltemade and Wissa left on the bench for Newcastle United vs Barcelona
The pair reportedly cost Newcastle a combined £124million but neither were deemed good enough to play in what could be an era-defining game for the club.
That is a poor reflection on them as players, as well as those who pushed to sign them to replace Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
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Woltemade does get unfair criticism at times but to suggest he’s shown anything positive in recent weeks would be unwise.
Wissa, meanwhile, may still be coming back from a reasonably serious injury but he has arguably looked worse than the German when he has appeared of late.
Fellow new signings Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey performed well against Barca, while Aaron Ramsdale and Anthony Elanga also played their part.
What Howe’s snub says about Woltemade and Wissa
Such a snub is difficult to come back from.
Of course, they’ll go on to play games for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond but the world now knows that neither player gets into what Howe deems his strongest side on the biggest nights.
It’s clear that neither player has covered themselves in glory this season but major questions need to be asked about the decisions to sign them in the first place.
They looked like panic buys at the time after the Isak saga and despite some promising signs from Woltemade a few months ago, they’ve continued to look like ones since.
Woltemade has been linked with a return to Germany and it would not be a surprise to see those rumours carry on. Obviously, that doesn’t mean he’ll leave this summer, but it’s certainly not out of the question that his time on Tyneside will be a fleeting one.
Wissa, meanwhile, will be more difficult to sell, given he is almost 30 and is coming off a big injury.
PIF weren’t comfortable with Newcastle signing Wissa and those fears have been played out on the pitch.
It certainly would not be a surprise to see Newcastle move for another striker this summer, which could push the pair even further down the pecking order.
Why Woltemade and Wissa didn’t play against Barcelona
Naturally, Howe was asked about his decision not to play either of them after the game.
The Newcastle United manager did not report any injuries and merely revealed that making such big calls was difficult to do in his position.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, the Magpies boss said: “It’s always a tough decision not to play players that I love, but that’s part of being a manager and having to pick the team to do what was best for the group.”
Perhaps one of them will lead the line against Chelsea on Saturday but considering Newcastle’s Premier League campaign effectively means nothing, that would hardly be a huge backing.
In one of the two games that could decide how the 2025/26 season is remembered on Tyneside, Wissa and Woltemade were conspicuous by their absence.
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